Device for preventing frosts in orchards.



J. L. GARDER. v DEVICE FOR PREVENTING FROSTS IN ORGHARDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1913.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

JAMES L. QARDER,- OF 'LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING- FROSTS IN ORCHARDS. I

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1913. Serial No. 765,156.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

' object to provide a new and useful apparatus for heating theunconfined air in and about orchards bearing fruit requiring a warm andfrostless atmosphere, and has special reference to the protection oforange orchards from frosts. This object has hitherto been effected bythe burning of crude oil in receptacles known as smudge pots, placed atregular intervals among the orange trees, but that process compared withthis invention, is very expensive, is not a successful reventative offrosts, and is extremely o ensive to residents in the vicinity where thesmudging process is employed.

An additional advantage derived from the present invention, is itsinofiensivcness, it eliminating the dense smoke which is unavoidable inthe present system of smudging.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of anorchard, equipped with distributing pipes and ejecting nozzles and withthe operating mecha- 'nism in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of .the spraying or ejecting nozzle, and Fig. 3 is a viewshowing the manner in which the spraying nozzles in the trees areconnected up with the mains.

In carrying out my invention, I provide an air compressor A of anysuitable type, which is connected up by means of a pipe l V with aheater B, the pipe W, having a valve W by means of which the heater maybe cut out of the system. A reservoir or tank 0 connected up with theheater by suitable pipe connections B has a check-valve Ybelow the tankto prevent back-flow therefrom, and the upper side of the tank has anoutlet pipe G which discharges into the distributing mains E, this pipehaving a cut-out valve 0 as shown. This tank has, preferably, a

pressure-indicating gage D. A pipe W extends from the discharge pipe Wof the air compressor to the discharge pipe C of the tank 0, connectingat a point above the valve C and a valve W is placed in the line of thispipe. A by-pass pipe B a.lso connects the two pipes W and B this pipehaving therein a cut-out valve X. The boiler, as well as the storagetank, has a thermometer Z by means of which the temperature may beobserved.

The orchard has each tree equipped with a spraying or ejecting nozzle,shown in Fi 2, in which the end of the vertical pipe. is threaded toreceive thereon a threaded shell G. This shell has its upper end o enand is ground to receive thereon a valve' lEr is vertically-movable onastem I. The lower end of the stem-is fixed to' a spider-frame with theshell G and the upper end of the stem is threaded,as at P, to receive apair of nuts J. Below the nuts is a disk K, and between the disk and thecap H is a spiral spring L, which serves to normally keep the cap on itsseat, and the nuts are designed to regulate the pressure of the spring.The distributing main E is connected 7' up by branch mains F between therows of trees, and each main has'latera-ls M, all of which arecarriedalong beneath the surface of the ground at suitable depths, and at theends ofthe branch mainsare the vertical discharge pipes G, which carrythe spraying or ejecting nozzles It will be observed that each verticalpipe extends up into the tree alongside of the trunk, the object beingto convey the heated air as far up into the branches as possible.

In operation, for the purpose of ejecting heated air through-the system,the heater is which ignited,.and the valves W and X closed.

When the compressor A is set in motion, air is forced through the heaterB into the tank C, the valve O in the outlet pipe being meanwhileclosed, and when a suflicient pressure is reached the valve C isiopened,and the outflow regulated thereby. It is obvious that by closing thevalves 0 and W and opening valves W and X, heated air may be distributedto the orchard heatingsystem without passing through the tank.

It is obvious that by the ejecting devices herein shown, I am able tocheaply and effectively reduce the temperature at each tree by theaction of a single operative unit, and

thereby save a great plicatibn of the heat.

In addition to the value of the system as a heatingplant, it willbeunderstood that the cal of time in the apsame distributing system may beused for irrigating purposes in which case the Water with said tank, andmeans for regulating the is delivered to each individual tree, andtemperature of the air and the out-flow of thereby greatly efl'ecting aneconomy in the the heated air. amount of Water "required. In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set 5 What I claim as new is: my hand at LosAngeles, California, this 15 I orchard heater, comprising a series of15th day of April, 1913.

distributing pipes, a plurality of ejecting JAMES L. CARDER. nozzles atconvenient points, a, tank connect- Witnesses: ed with the distributingpipes, a heater and C. W. STAHL,

an air compressor operatively connected up i G I-I. SAYLES.

